Daraulf Fimbulvetr
by ECHO230
Summary: AU, Long after the nuclear holocaust of 2077 humanity still struggles to survive. Mutants and pyschos try to kill off the few sensible people left. Berk though, has a problem with unique mutations called dragons. Takes place in Fallout.
1. Introduction

AN: Evening all. I feel I have some explaining to do. First off, let me make it clear to those that are reading, and enjoying my other story, The Wheel, that I have not abandoned it. I just couldn't get this idea out of my head, and I thought it was brilliant. So I will be doing my best to update both stories.

Now next, I will expound upon the summary. This takes place in the universe of the Fallout videogame series. Specifically it takes place in the Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3. However, I do not feel this is appropriately a crossover, as it only takes place in the games' universe. The most it might have is references to organizations, and cameos of side-characters and towns in the game. It does not revolve around Fallout itself. Rather the story of How to Train Your Dragon as it would have been in that setting. If enough people disagree with me, however, I will move this to the crossover section.

I would also like it to be known that this isn't going to be a parody of the movie or books. Principles and Elements inspired me to do this, and, like it's brilliant author, I intend to do my own spin of things. Do not come in here, and expect to read something like the movie. This is an AU.

The title of this story should translate to After Fimbulwinter. If it does not, I apologize, and would appreciate to know what the title should properly be. Fimbulwinter, or Fimbulvetr, is supposed to be a three year long winter that occurs during Ragnarok, the end of the world in Norse mythology. In it there are supposed to be countless wars, and brothers will kill brothers. I find this concept comparative to a nuclear winter, and so I felt the title of After Fimbulwinter appropriate.

Now, this first chapter isn't that long. It's a nice little introduction to the world of this story told from a journal entry. So read, and enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fallout or How to Train Your Dragon.

**Warning:** This chapter contains use of a very mature word. Do not read if you are not okay with that.

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**Journal Entry Date, 8/6/2289**

Humanity. What a joke. A selfish creature bent on destroying itself, and for what? Scraps of dirt, and the remains of creatures long dead? It's really funny my dad says. Two centuries ago we tried to blow ourselves up over these stupid things. Well we couldn't even do that right, and now, over 200 years after the bombs fell in 2077 A.D, we have to suffer for what our ancestors did.

Personally, I don't find it that funny. We struggle to live nowadays, and all because some stupid dicks had to push the button all those years ago. I mean, honestly, what was going through their heads? What could have made them believe activating a weapon that could destroy the world was a good idea? They killed nearly everything for greed, and now we have to fight for our survival nearly every day. Not that funny in my opinion, but then I'm not my dad.

Still, I guess it's not all bad. We at least have a good defensible town. It was originally inhabited by a few traders, my great great grandparents. They made a fairly good living compared to most out here in the Capital Wasteland. They managed to establish a settlement in the ruins of a small old town they dubbed Berk, and had a lot of equipment they'd come by from the dead. Sure, you may think it's disrespectful, but corpses weren't going to need it. After a few years though, a rather large group of Raiders came by the town. The founders used the equipment they had to bribe, more like beg, the raiders into leaving the town alone. That continued for generations until my dad and his buddies arrived.

They're ex-Brotherhood. No, not Outcasts. They were just tired of always fighting, and wanted to find a place they could live without it. They never did, but my dad found my mom. That was good enough for him, and the others thought the town needed them, being in the D.C. division of the Brotherhood of Steel tends to give you compassion they tell me; so they settled down. Needless to say, next time the Raiders came was the last. Under my dad's direction the town and his team were able to fend off the Raiders.

After that, my dad worked on making Berk defensible, and training the citizens to fight. They didn't train them in the use of power armor or energy weapons, but that was primarily because they didn't have any spares for the town to use. Regardless, the town soon became a capable society of soldiers and merchants. The Slavers avoided us for our prowess, and the occasional Raider attack was quickly put down. They weren't our only problem though. Just the first.

A few years before I was born some nasty mutations found a home located somewhere near Berk, and because of that we became their favorite stomping ground. Nothing like them had ever been seen before, so we assumed they came the South or Midwest. Couldn't say for sure though, but it's never seemed to matter much. What mattered most was that they never stopped coming, no matter how many we killed. Now that I think about it, they must have a massive population, or reproduce quickly.

They didn't seem to care too much about us until we fought them. They'd just go straight for the Brahmin. I think they'd probably ignore us if we had let them take the livestock without a fight, but that's something we can't afford. If we lose the Brahmin we'd starve, so the "war" began. We've lost a lot of people fighting them, and so have they. However, they aren't easy to kill, and if it weren't the Brotherhood training methods we wouldn't stand a chance.

These mutations are tough and vicious. We think they evolved from a reptile because they're covered in scales that are as hard power armor, and they have a large size to go with it. The most notable parts of them, though, are the large wings that allow them flight, and their most common form of attack. They can breath fire. We named them Dragons after the creatures in the, barely readable, children's books from before the war.

The Dragons, as the crazy guy on the radio will tell you, are definitely not to be fucked with. These things could rip apart a Deathclaw, and that, I can tell you, is something frightening. The thing that always confused me though, is that there are different breeds. I suppose they could have mutated several different ways, but, this is the confusing part, the different breeds seem to get along fine. Guess I shouldn't boggle my mind over it though. I'm no expert on animal behavior.

I was born in the middle of this war for survival, and I'm, how should I put this, a brilliantly disastrous clusterfuck maybe? That seems apt enough. My dad might not be so rude as to say that to my face, but he thinks it. Since I was a baby I've been a hazard. I always seemed to get into trouble. Whether it's wandering outside during a raid, or standing too close to the firing range I always stir up something. It's not that I don't have anything useful to offer, I'm particularly good with maintaining equipment, but my cons outweigh my pros.

I'm small. Too small to do any heavy lifting, and that includes carrying a lot of ammunition, which means I can't leave Berk for very long. I'm unlucky. The first time my dad tried to train me to shoot I accidentally popped a few shots in my dad's best friend, Gobber's, foot. Fortunately the damage wasn't severe, and he can still fight, despite a limp. If he held any grudge he didn't show it to me, other than on the day of the shooting.

Needless to say the event caused my dad to postpone my gun training for years, so I'm not too experienced with guns either. Fortunate for them, I can't lift Gobber's missile launcher, not that he'd let me use it.

Because of my luck, and diminutive, hah dad can't use that word, stature I've earned two nicknames. One I don't mind all that much, it's not that insulting. The other, I do mind. In an ironically lucky case, though, people don't use my second nickname too much.

Things used to not be as bad for me though. Back when my mom was alive I at least had someone to comfort me when things got too bad. She would always take care of me. Cheer me up, and encourage me. Hell, even my dad wasn't as critical back then. No matter how bad I screwed up everything always seemed fine in the end.

Then there was that horrid night. I don't know why I didn't listen. I wish to God I had. There was a Dragon raid that night. The people were all about the town trying to fend off the mutants, and my mother told me stay inside. I left the house anyway, certain there was something I could. I didn't know what, but I felt there was something I should do to help. I must have stood out. Because a rather large dragon, one we call a Monstrous Nightmare, came after me. I ran screaming, and my mom noticed me soon. She jumped in front of the dragon, and opened fire. The rain of bullets killed the mutant, but not before it managed to impale her with one of it's talons.

That was it. My mother was dead because of me. Heh, guess I'm no better than the assholes who burnt the world to a cinder all those years ago.

My dad took it pretty hard. Everybody did, but **he **didn't speak to me for a week. The only sound I heard from him was quiet sobbing when he thought I wasn't nearby. It made me hate myself. Actually, that's when I started this journal. I still remember the last line of that first entry. "It would be better if I had died, and mommy lived."

That statement's only proved itself to me time and time again. My mom was a brilliant woman and caring. Not to mention she was a match for my dad on the battlefield. Me? I'm just a compulsive little runt who can hardly shoot a gun.

Since that night things only seemed to go to hell for me. My "mishaps" became continually worse, and people would hardly listen when I spoke. They would shrug off my ideas, and treat me like a child. Maybe I am still a child. Maybe I'm not, but even if I am that doesn't mean I can't be as intelligent as any of them. Actually, I usually find myself outwitting most of them without too much trouble. Still, what good is that if they won't listen to me.

My dad's become more disappointed in me as the years have passed. Now whenever I have something to say, anything at all, he just stares at me like I'm in some imaginary little world. Granted, I am, but that doesn't mean my imaginary little world doesn't work like reality.

Whenever he learns I messed something up I can feel his exhaustion or anger. It's as if he hates me. Don't get me wrong. I know he doesn't. If he did he would likely have thrown me out of the town, but it still feels like it. I don't know what I could possibly do to make him proud of me.

Can't say why I went on this rant. I guess, maybe, because nothing interesting happened today. Well, hopefully something will tomorrow, and I won't have to bitch about my problems in this book again.

,Signed Harold "Hiccup Horrendous" Haddock III

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AN: Well, I hope y'all enjoyed that first chapter. I did my best to make it interesting, since I know it's just an introduction. Don't worry though, the next chapter will be different, and we'll get into the world itself. This journal entry is just a one time deal I did for the introduction. Anyway, please review, and tell me what you think.


	2. Just another day

AN: Hey guys. I would have had this chapter up sooner, but my Beta for this story is taking her time. Truth is that this is still the unedited version, but once I receive the version she's looked over I'll replace this chapter with it's edited version. So until then, I apologize for any errors in the story.

On another note, I would really like to thank all the people who favorited, and reviewed this story already. This is the largest amount of popularity I've had had for a story with just one chapter being posted. I won't dissapoint you guys. Now, enjoy.

In response to Randomstrike, no. There will be no Yaoi in this. I do not discourage anyone from making yaoi, as it's their choice, but in all truth I prefer Hiccup and Toothless to be friends. On another note, I am guy, and, as such, do not wish to write yaoi.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or Fallout. They belong, respectively, to Cressida Cowell, Dreamworks, and Bethesda Softworks.

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A red haired boy awoke yawning. He rubbed his eyes, and looked around his room. It was old and ruined, a pathetic imitation of what it used to be, but it was home. Standing up, the boy walked over to a cluttered desk, and cleared a few layers of dust away from it to look at a few books. He didn't know why he had them anymore. They were children's books his mother used to read to him. Of course half the pages were burnt or missing, so his mom had to make something up. Maybe he hung onto them for sentimental value.

Sighing, he left the desk, and pulled the clothes off the shelf at the end of his bed to change. He slipped on a pair of beige pants, a green long-sleeve shirt, black and white tinny shoes, and an old Kevlar vest. Stretching, the boy returned to the desk, and opened one of it's drawers. He took out a few bullets and a revolver. The gun was pocketed, and bullets loaded into the slots across his chest. "Hiccup!" The boy heard his nickname called.

He closed his drawer, and left the room. "What?" He asked descending the stairs.

A bearded red haired man in cyan armor stood by the door. "I'm about to go hunting. Gobber's power armor broke the other day, and I was wondering if you could help him fix it." He said in a thicker accent than the boy.

"Sure thing dad. Wouldn't want him to burn his hand off." Hiccup responded jokingly.

The man grimaced, and said, "I'm more worried about that happening to you. Can I trust you take this seriously or not?"

The boy's face drained of mirth, and he answered dully, "Yes sir."

"Good. Hop to it after your breakfast." His father said while placing a helmet that looked partly like an oxygen mask on his head.

Hiccup watched his father leave before heading back upstairs, and pocketing a few repair supplies and notes. He would eat at Gobber's.

As the boy exited the small hotel that served as his, and a few other residents of Berk's, home he could hear the low screeching of metal that indicated the gate to outside the town was closing. His father must already be gone. Hiccup hiked up his pants, which were sagging from the weight in them, and started off down the street. Staring around, he realized that it was probably bigger than most towns in the waste, but that wouldn't last long if the Dragons kept coming. Some of the more peaceful residents had already left. Nobody blamed them, but the blow was felt. Despite the community's size they were tight-knit group, and they seemed to constantly be losing people to one thing or another. The thought was depressing.

Hiccup headed into what was once a car repair shop. Inside he heard snoring, and smiled to himself. Makes sense Gobber would still be asleep. The man didn't normally wake up until noon, unless something woke him up. Hiccup headed past Gobber's bed to a door on the side of the building, and went inside the garage.

A cyan armor similar to the one his father had used was laid out on a table against the back wall. The room was too dark to work in though, so Hiccup approached the metal doors in the front of the garage. Through a combination of sweating, cursing, and struggling he managed to lift the door up, letting in the light from outside. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem to lift such a thing up, due to the rollers on it's sides, but after countless years of rusting it was difficult for someone like Hiccup, who weighed just under a hundred pounds, to open the door. Taking a deep breath, the pale boy turned around, and approached the table with Gobber's power armor on it.

He took out his tools and notes, and began to work. Repairing power armor was especially tricky. If he tightened something too much the armor might crush it's wearer's rib cage. If he didn't tighten it enough the armor would stop increasing it's wearer's strength. So, Hiccup carried notes on what he knew of the armors and repairing them to make things easier. Actually, he kept notes and schematics of many things, some of which were just ideas he had come up with, but right now he needed the power armor notes.

Hiccup noticed rather quickly what the problem was. The suit's circulation lines were damaged. Without them the armor would heat up very quickly, and it's wearer would likely collapse of a heat stroke. It was a bad problem, but a quick fix. The boy removed the damaged tubes, and began searching the garage for spares. It took a while, because of how unorganized the garage was, but he found them. Returning to the table, Hiccup placed in the new lines, and turned on the armor to make sure the cooling system worked. The new lines did their job, and Hiccup stood up, smiling at his work. "Came here a bit early did ya?" A voice said behind him.

The boy turned to see a blonde man with a long mustache, but recoiled when he saw the rest of the man. "Uuuh, Gobber, do you mind putting something on?" He said, eyes pinched tight.

The other man was taken aback by the request, but turned around saying, "Right, I'll go get my undies."

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief when Gobber had gone, and opened his eyes. He turned off the power armor on the table, and went up to the door . Cautiously peeking around the corner he caught sight of Gobber wearing boxers. The man looked up from setting plates on a table, and said with chuckle, "You can come in now. It's safe."

Relaxing, Hiccup went in, and sat at the table. Gobber tossed a slice of meat and a pill his way. The boy swallowed the pill, knowing it would boost his body's resistance to the radiation he was about to in take. Gobber sat across from him, and slid over a bottle water that said Aqua Pura. Well, at least they had clean water to drink since the Brotherhood had managed to activate the machine in the Jefferson Memorial five years back. It certainly made eating irradiated meat easier. Hiccup unscrewed the cap on the bottle, and took sip before digging in. "So how are things with Stoick?" Gobber asked trying to make conversation as they ate.

"Dad still thinks I'm too childish." Hiccup answered blandly.

"Well one can only take so many jokes, and besides, he's just trying to make sure you're ready to take care of yourself when he's gone." Gobber explained.

"It's not just the jokes." Hiccup protested, "Whenever I have an idea that might help us, like a way to copy the power armors' solar power to give us electricity here, he ignores it."

"There's a reason for tha'." Gobber stated, seemingly more interested in his food.

Hiccup glared at the older man, and said, "Not everything I come up with is going to blow up in our faces."

"Just most of it." Gobber argued as if he'd said it many times before.

"Oh really? What about my latest idea? I say we try to capture a Dragon. We can trap it, and study it. Find out it's weaknesses." Hiccup presented.

"I can think of a million ways that could go wrong." Gobber returned disinterestedly.

"But think of all of the lives we could save that way. We wouldn't have any more deaths caused by those monsters, and we could fight them more efficiently. They wouldn't get away with anymore of our Brahmin." Hiccup debated.

The thought seemed to interest the man on the other side of the table, and he sat in thought for a few minutes. "What would we use to trap it? You can't just present an idea like that without a way to accomplish it. You have to think these things through." Gobber said.

Hiccup's face dropped, and he gave up, dejected. Feeling guilty, the man across the table scratched his neck, and spoke up again, "But I can see your point why it would be a good idea."

The boy cheered up a little at this, and smiled. "Thanks Gobber." He said.

Hiccup left the man's house in a better mood, and started heading back to his home to put up his tools and notes. "Well, look who we have here." An obnoxious loud voice stopped him.

He turned slowly, dreading to see what he knew was behind him. It was a muscular brown-haired boy with tough leather armor. "Where are you off to runt?" A slightly smaller long haired blonde boy hanging on the shoulder of the larger boy asked.

"Probably looking for a hole to hide in." A nearly identical blonde girl hanging on the other shoulder answered.

Hiccup's eyes widened a little, and he stated, "Right now, I'm thinking about it."

"Too bad." The brunet said, placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "You're coming with us."

Before he could protest the boy was being drug along the ruined street against his will. Oddly enough, the adults wandering about ignored this, as if it were usual. Truth is that it was, and maybe that was why they didn't try to stop it.

Rather quickly, Hiccup found himself thrown in the make shift pen for the male Brahmin. He stood up cautiously as one of the two headed cows looked his way. A small rock hit it in the left forehead, and the beast flew into a rage.

Hiccup began running around the pin as the Brahmin chased him. The only sounds he could hear over the animal's yelling was the laughter of the three people who threw him in, and his own screaming. The Brahmin was gaining on him, and about skewer him with it's horns when a loud bang rang through the air. The Brahmin began backing away in fear, still snorting in frustration, and a blonde haired girl, unlike the one that helped throw him in there, approached the pen with a pistol held high. She brought the gun down as she reached gate, and opened it. Hiccup left the pen, and gave the short haired girl a nervous look. "Thanks Astrid." He said quietly.

The girl ignored him, and shut the gate. "Oh, why'd you have to go, and ruin the fun?" The muscular boy said.

"Because, _Snotlout_," Astrid spat. "Regardless of whether you can or can't pick on him you shouldn't. We're too close-knit a group to bicker with each other. If a fight broke out among us it would threaten the community as a whole."

"What did you just call me?" The brown haired boy asked.

"Oooh, she got you good Snotlout." The blonde girl beside him said.

"I kind of like the name Snotlout." The blonde boy said.

Indignant at the two picking on him the brunet practically shouted, "MY NAME IS DAVID!"

The two blondes began laughing, but stopped when they felt Astrid's hard stare. "Amanda, Andrew, you two are just as guilty as he is." She said.

"I told you, call me Ruffnut!" The blonde girl shouted.

"I told you, call me Tuffnut!" The blonde boy shouted at the same time.

Hiccup was smirking at the bullies' outrage until Astrid turned her glare on him. "And you, Horrendous," She spoke, using his second nickname with as much venom as she could muster. "You need to learn to defend yourself! This is a wasteland, and we are ridiculously lucky to have it like we do! It may not always be like this! Then, who will you turn to for help when you're alone? You're not always going have someone to protect you, so TOUGHEN UP!"

Hiccup took a step back, words catching in his mouth. This was a lot worse than being chased by a Brahmin. Clearly, the bullies agreed, as they were already sniggering again. Having felt she'd berated them enough, Astrid left at brisk pace, still bristling in anger.

The bullies began walking away as well, and once they were sure Astrid was out of earshot they burst into laughter.

Hiccup looked to ground in shame. His good mood from earlier was long gone. Astrid was right. He was pathetic, but what could he do? Whenever he tried to improve himself something went wrong. Maybe he was cursed to live his life as an unlucky runt.

* * *

Stoick stared down the barrel of his hunting rifle through his helm's visor. He pulled the trigger, and the bullet inside flew through skull of a wild dog. Putting the rifle into it's holster on his back, he walked over to the corpse, and began digging in the skull to get to bullet out. Two other men walked up to his sides. One wore power armor like him, but the other simply wore clothing. "Nice shot." The armored one said, his helmet causing his voice to sound like it had been spoken through an intercom.

"Thanks." Said Stoick.

"How's Hiccup doing?" The unarmored one asked out of boredom.

"Same child as always. He doesn't take anything seriously." Stoick answered, hefting the dog's body up.

"I've heard some people say that humor's a form of defense sometimes." The armored man said.

Stoick stared at him from under his helmet for few moments, and the man spoke again, "Point taken."

Sighing, Stoick began, "Hiccu--"

"YAO GUAI!" A scream interrupted him, and two more men with leather armor slid down a hill.

They took their places near Stoick's group, and everyone drew their guns. A massive bear missing large chunks of fur, which exposed green and black skin, came running over the hill. The hunting party immediately opened fire, and the beast dropped dead. The other member of the group wearing power armor approached the corpse with one of the men that been running. "That's odd. The closest Yao Guai den is almost a mile away. They don't normally wander this far from their home." The man with power armor said.

"Unless they're running from something. Think a few Deathclaws wandered in to it's den?" The unarmored member of the party asked.

"No. That would be odder. Deathclaws nest farther north." One of the men with leather armor answered.

"Then that means…" The unarmored man began.

"Dragons." Stoick finished, "Grab the Yao Guai's body. It'll make good food. We need to get back to Berk now, and prepare the town in case of a raid."

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AN: Alrighty then, you now have the first real chapter to the story. I hope it's met your expectations so far.

Now, I'll explain a few things first off is the Yao Guai. Their name is pronounced Yow-gwhy, and according to the game, Yao Guai are the mutated descendants of Black Bears. They aren't particularly larger than regular bears in the game, but they are more muscular. I decided to take creative license with them, and in this story they are about twice the size of a bear.

Next, is the community of Berk. They are very well established because of the ex-brotherhood individuals living among them, and the town itself is a notably large set of ruins just a little bit north of the ruins of D.C. itself. The number people living there, however, isn't massive. They are numerous compared most settlements in wastes, but there are less people living in Berk than in Rivet City. For those who haven't play the game Rivet City is a town built inside of an old Naval Air Carrier. Don't know the actual name of the kind of ship, but that doesn't matter much.

Third, we have our ex-brotherhood soldiers. The people who used to be in the Brotherhood are Stoick, Gobber, Maddison Hofferson, Spitelout, and one unamed individual. Maddison Hofferson is supposed to be Astrid's father. He and Spitelout will appear in future chapters.

Fourth, there's the bit about a machine in the Jefferson Memorial. This is a reference back to the plot of Fallout 3. At the end of the game you activate a machine that cleans the river in the D.C. Ruins. The Brotherhood of Steel then begins distributing the clean water throughout the Wasteland for free. This happened long after Stoick came to Berk.

Finally, we have the Power Armor. It's armor that was used by U. S. back before everything went boom. Naturally, since it is mostly metal, it's very hard to penetrate, making ballisitics a poor choice of weapon to use against it. It also increases the wearer's strength, though not ridiculously, and filters out radiation to a certain extent. I realized that the strength increasing bit and the cooling system, mentioned in this chapter, would require power. So, since I don't know how they actually work, I decided being solar power seemed very likely.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Even if you didn't it would be nice to know why. So review, and tell me what you think.


	3. Dragon raid

**AN: **Hey guys. It's been about five months, and I'm glad to be writing again. Now, I know you're waiting for my excuse. I've been too busy. There was an accident. Not buying it? Shit. Truth is I have no excuse I've just been too lazy. I'm ashamed of myself for that, and I can't blame you if you're pissed. On the bright side however, I'm back NOW, and I am going to finish this story. This chapter is also longer than my usual I believe, so there's that as well.

I've done my best to read over this chapter, even rewriting a couple paragraphs, but I can't be sure I got every mistake. So if you see any please point them out to me.

In short I'm really really sorry for the delay, especially since I love writing this, and please enjoy this chapter.

**WARNING: **There are a few really gory scenes. So don't read if you can't stomach it, or are offended.

DISCLAIMER: Neither How to Train Your Dragon nor Fallout belong to me.

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The cool night air flowed around her sleek black form. It was a feeling barely noticeable through her hard scales. This was the same as any other day. Wake up, hunt, fight, and feed. She was a creature of instinct, like most reptiles. She existed purely to survive, and satisfied only her needs. Thought barely ever occurred, and when it did it was usually in realization of something small, such as, "_He stole my food!"_

She did make note of the fighting that occurred with the humans, but they were simply an obstacle to handle before gaining the delicious creatures that they kept. She would just as soon eat one of them, but the two-headed beasts were much more appealing in taste. Tonight, she and the others were approaching the human nest, and would soon feast upon the creatures they kept. Had she, or the others, the consciousness for emotions they would certainly be overjoyed, but they were creatures of instinct. They existed to survive. Nothing more.

* * *

Stoick stared about the streets of Berk, watching people hastily build covers to shield from dragon fire. The townsfolk looked like ants as they quickly moved from place to place, always doing something. The dragon raid was not confirmed yet, but it would be unwise to take a chance. At the moment Stoick was listening to Snotlout and the twins complain. "But why can't we fight?" The brunet moaned.

Stoick eyed the young man, and answered, "Because you're too young. You're this town's future as much as any of the other children. If you die the town will too, one day."

"But I'm much more skilled than everybody else my age." Snotlout boasted.

"That's because the only other person the same age as you is fumbling Fishlegs." Ruffnut said.

"Yeah, even she's better than you." Tuffnut continued, pointing at his sister.

"Why you-!" Ruffnut grunted, grabbing her brother by the collar.

The dawning brawl between the three teenagers was stopped by Stoick's raised hand. "Enough!" He yelled. "Frankly, the only one of your age group whom I'd trust on the battlefield is Astrid, and that's because she listens to orders. Now, all of you, go join her and Hiccup to guard younger children."

The three gulped in unison, and replied shortly, "Yes sir."

As they left Gobber approached. "Ah, to be young. I remember when I was that bloodthirsty. Over the years battle does take it's toll though. Those kids don't know how lucky they are."

Stoick turned, and wearily greeted, "How you doin' old friend?"

"Fine, but stop calling me old. It makes depressed." Gobber replied.

Stoick smirked, and asked, "Did Hiccup fix your armor right?"

Gobber nodded, and answered, "Lad had it fixed before I woke up. All I need is for you to show me where to set up, and I'll be ready for battle."

Stoick pointed down the street. "There's an extra large barricade being set up in the square." He explained

"Right. Come along lads." Gobber said, waving behind him.

A train of ten men carrying ammunition and enough weapons to make you assume some form of compensation was being done followed the slightly limping man toward the square. As they passed, Stoick stared at the sky. It was already dark out. If the dragons were coming, they'd be there soon.

* * *

The human nest was below her and the others. It was time once more. The howling roars of her companions began to build, and her deep crying voice joined theirs as the sound echoed in the night, setting a dark and ominous mood for the battle.

* * *

Hiccup sat nervously in a large room. The calls of the dragons were a nightmarish thing. Even growing up with it the sound still unnerved him. Staring around he saw he wasn't the only one. The little children, 7 in all, were practically crying in fear. Other than them Snotlout and the twins were looking about nervously, as if expecting a dragon to come barreling through the roof. Even Astrid seemed a little off, but she covered up her own anxiety by trying to calm the little children. A rather large boy with blonde hair, commonly called Fishlegs, for an early-in-life knack for fainting, aided her in the task. Hiccup could give no comfort though.

He stared at the revolver in his hand. He shouldn't have to use it if things went right, but that didn't change the fact he was worried. Not for himself, but his father. Stoick could handle himself. He was probably the best fighter in the town, but after losing one parent to a dragon it was something Hiccup couldn't help.

It was only a short while before the battle, but the moment of calm seemed to stretch forever. Then the gunfire signaling the start of the fight came.

* * *

Several of the townspeople watched from roofs as the dragons descended to the Brahmin pens. Once the creatures were close enough they opened fire. The retreat of the reptiles was quick, but they still lost a few in the hailstorm of bullets erupting from roofs and streets.

A fireball slammed onto one of the roofs. The two men on it managed to avoid the attack, but a relatively small fat dragon with massive jaws followed it. The beast picked up one of the men in it's mouth, and snapped him like a twig. The surviving man watched in horror as what was left of his ally was swallowed. When the fat dragon turned to him he raised his rifle, and began shooting. The bullets bounced off the thick hide this species possessed, mildly irritating it, and the beast lunged.

Down in the streets three tall two-legged dragons landed, and shot spikes out of their tails at a simple barricade before them. The humans behind it managed to take cover, and retaliated with a few grenades. The small things went unnoticed by the dragons, costing them dearly. The grenades' explosions did little damage to the beasts, but the shrapnel pierced their scales with ease, killing two of them. The remaining injured dragon managed to let out a shrill cry for help before it was silenced by a shot through the eye.

The call was answered by another of the fat dragons. It came flying over the road like a missile, and barreled through the barricade with ease. Rather than turn around for another charge the beast began flying erratically, trying to shake off a human that had latched onto it's underside. The man's grip refused to yield though, and adrenaline fueled muscles drove the human's knife through the fat dragon's extra-strong scales, and guided it down the mutant's gut. The creature's organs fell out, and irradiated blood poured down the street en masse. The man fell off the dragon as the carnage spilled out of his dying target, but his own life was ended by the quick approach of hundreds of tiny reptilian mouths.

* * *

She soared over the battle watching. She would not join except to take her pick of the food. It was not her nature. No, she stayed in the sky, and provided support. Strategy did not occur to the dragons, including her, but the illusion of it was created by the combination of their instincts.

Spotting a rather troublesome group of humans she sucked in the air around her, creating a whistling sound, and spat a blue ball of fire at the vermin. The force of the bolt alone tossed the tiny shelter into pieces like it was nothing, and the surviving flames burnt the humans to a crisp.

She sped up, and let loose another bolt of fire at a group of humans on a roof. The fireball hit the edge of the building with explosive force. The humans were dead in an instant, and the old building crumpled, pieces of it damaging the building beside it.

* * *

Hiccup laid between a wall and a large piece of debris coughing as the dust cleared. Part of a neighboring building had smashed the roof in. "Is everyone alright?" He heard Astrid wheezing.

"I think so." Snotlout managed through the coughing. "The kids are by me."

"Where's Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked.

"Horrendous Haddock? He's probably dead!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"We need to go!" Ruffnut added.

Even from behind a segment of roof Hiccup could almost feel the glare Astrid cast on the twins, if he died it would reflect poorly on her. "I'm fine. I'm over here!" Hiccup called as he stood, and walked around the debris.

"Good everyone's ok." Astrid said in a business-like tone. "This building's not safe anymore. It collapse if something else hit it. We need to head for the town square, where they were setting up the strongest defense, and take shelter there."

Despite their earlier bluster Snotlout and the twins looked at each other nervously. Hiccup, oddly enough, was the only one not unnerved by the plan. Astrid was right after all, they had a better chance of reaching the town square than surviving here at this point. The others knew it as well, and, after a moment, readied their guns. "Alright. Let's move." Astrid ordered.

* * *

Stoick reached around the corner of a building, and began firing an odd looking rifle. The lasers that came out of the end fried the tiny dragons he was aiming at. They were in unusually small numbers here. Normally the small dragons teamed up in a literal flood to overcome their targets. The small amount here allowed Stoick and a few others to hold them off, but it made him feel useless. The rest of the tiny dragons were somewhere, and he wasn't there to help.

Stoick bent back into cover, and took a large round battery cell out of his rifle. As he placed a new one in a steady humming came from the street. He peeked round the corner to see a Gronkle coming down the road, and the last of the Terrors slain. Breathing deeply, he turned the corner, and began firing at the Gronkle without relent. The beast singled him out, and sped up it's charge. Unlike bullets, however, the lasers from Stoick's gun cut through the Gronkle's scales with ease. Shortly before reaching Stoick the fat beast fell, and slid to a stop in front of him.

One of the men with him came out of cover saying, "There's the reason we call you Stoick."

The large man grunted, and replied, "That tactic normally wouldn't work on anything besides a Gronkle."

"Fortunately it only seems like there are Gronkles, Terrible Terrors, and Deadly Nadders out tonight. No sign of a Monstrous Nightmare or Zippleback." The Villager responded.

A quick chinking of armor, and the shouting of, "SIR!" announced the arrival of an ex-brotherhood member. Stoick turned, and asked, "Spitelout? You're supposed to be on the main street. What's wrong?"

"The main street is lost. There was a massive influx of Terrors. Little bastards have to be in high enough numbers to take out a Nightmare, but that's not why I'm here. The dragons brought a Night Fury." "What?" Stoick interrupted the soldier.

"And," Spitelout continued, "It took out part of the building the kids were hiding in."

For a moment Stoick stood dumbfounded. Could he just have-No. Astrid was in charge of the children, and she wouldn't let anything happen. Stoick couldn't show his fear, or the others would fear as well. Boldly, he ordered. "Spitelout go round up a team, and lure the Terrors to the Town Square. We have a surprise for them."

"Gobber?" Spitelout asked.

"Yes." Stoick answered.

"I have no doubt the crazy bastard can handle them, but what about Hiccup and the others? My son's with them." Spitelout worriedly asked.

"Astrid's leading them. They'll get to safety. Right now we need to focus on defending our homes." Stoick said.

"Yes sir." Spitelout said, grudgingly.

* * *

The children moved cautiously through an alley not far from the town square. They could hear the sounds of battle, but it was relatively quiet where they were now. "This next road should lead us directly to the square." Astrid said, peeking round the end of the alley to make sure it was safe.

"Isn't it a bit quiet on this side of town?" Snotlout asked, bringing back Astrid's attention. "I mean, what if the dragons already made it through here? Won't we run into a wall of them on the way?"

"If you have any better ideas I'd love to here it." Astrid retorted, and looked back around the corner. "Besides, it looks like there are people coming anyway. So I guess your fears are unfounded."

Grabbing hold of the nearest child she ran down the street, quickly followed by the others. "Hey! Over here!" She shouted, to gain attention.

As they approached the group of men a power-armored individual spoke, "Kids, oh thank God. I had seen the roof of the building cave. I'm so glad you're alright." He said.

"Well we're fine thanks to my leadership." Snotlout lied proudly, earning Astrid's famous glare.

"Son, I know Stoick put Astrid in charge, and she wouldn't let you take the reins, even if you killed her." The Power-armored man said.

The comment put a smile on Hiccup and many other faces, but just made Snotlout sputter at the realization of who he was talking to. "I suppose you're all headed for the square? Good it'll be safest there." Spitelout stated.

"Ummm…I don't mean to offend sir, but why are you out here when the fighting is clearly elsewhere?" Fishlegs asked nervously.

"We're here to draw out a large group of Terrors we saw around here last, and lead them to a trap at the square. Don't worry they won't get through it's defenses." Spitelout answered.

"Gobber?" Hiccup guessed smirking.

"Gobber." Spitelout confirmed. "At any rate you kids need to get going."

Astrid nodded, and began proceed when there was an odd howling caw. She turned to see a Terrible Terror making the noise. One of Spitelout's men shot it, and the mutant died mid-call. "Damn it, a scout! I guess we found the tiny bastards. Quick, gather the little children, and prepare to run on my mark." Spitelout ordered.

The villagers scrambled to follow their commands as the thunder of hundreds of wings worked it's way toward them. Just as they finished the Terrors began pouring out of the alleys. "NOW!" Shouted Spitelout.

* * *

Gobber sat impatiently in front his gatling gun. He had only had a chance to kill a few dragons at the start of the attack, and since then none had managed to make it to the square. This was good news, because it meant the town was holding off the dragons, but without anything to fight Gobber was growing anxious. "Gobber!" Came a faint yell, but he ignored it, thinking it was the wind.

A low thundering made itself known, and he heard again louder, "Gobber!"

The old soldier looked in the direction of the sound, and could make out shapes. People running, and a wall of green and orange rushing up behind them. "Gobber!" The people screamed once more.

"Finally, some action!" The ex-brotherhood soldier howled in delight.

He pressed a button on his massive machine gun to make it's barrel spin, and waited for his targets to come close enough to where he could do damage. Not long passed before the mass of Terrible Terrors were within range, and Gobber opened fire, laughing like a lunatic. The machine gun ripped through the wall of tiny dragons. The sudden resistance gave the mutants enough a pause that the people they had been chasing were able to reach the Square.

Gobber's gun, however, overheated before he could kill them all, and he was forced to stop firing. The many remaining Terrors used this pause to regroup, and form the wall again. When the gatling gun had cooled Gobber opened fire once more, but the wall of Terrors split into two halves to avoid the attack. When Gobber focused on one of them that half split into smaller sections, only losing a small chunk to his onslaught. The dragons continued to separate and rejoin whenever Gobber aimed at them making his gunfire useless, but he was not the only one in the square. "Men! Form up on Gobber, and aid him!" Stoick's voice came out of nowhere.

There was a collective, "Yes sir," and the villagers gathered around Gobber, weapons ready. The Terrible Terrors' strategy fell to ruin under the storm of bullets, and they began retreating, with few making it.

* * *

Hiccup watched in awe as the dragons retreated. The deaths of the Terrors seemed to signal the mutants' defeat. He hadn't ever seen something like this before, having always been forced indoors during dragon raids, and it filled him with pride. His people had managed to push back the dragons without much loss. This was truly a miracle. That feeling was shattered in an instant when a blue ball of fire slammed on the shelter Gobber's gatling gun had been under, incinerating it and the people still under it. Screams of joy turned to quiet for a moment. Gobber broke the silence with a choked scream, "BESSIE!"

The old soldier quickly turned his pain to anger, and he rushed under a different shelter. Coming out with a rocket launcher he aimed at the sky, and fired at the first silhouette to cross the moon. After a moment there was an explosion, and the dragon fell to the ground. The ex-brotherhood soldiers immediately ran for the crash site, and, sensing an opportunity, Hiccup followed.

* * *

When they arrived the black dragon was still breathing, and the scar on it's side seemed minor to what a human would suffer from the same attack. "Damn tough beast." Stoick said.

"Well Gobber, you gonna finish it?" Spitelout asked.

"Gladly." Gobber answered, unsheathing a knife.

"WAIT!" Hiccup screamed as he ran up, and blocked him from the dragon.

"Harold, what the hell are you doing!" Stoick asked.

Hiccup winced, the use of his real name was a bad sign. "Well, uh, Dad we've never caught a dragon alive before. I thought, we might be able to study it." He explained.

"WHAT! STUDY THE DAMN THING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE RISKS THAT INVOLVES?" Stoick screamed.

Hiccup looked at the ground, and spoke quietly, "But we could learn-"

"LEARN WHAT? HOW TO GET OUR ASSES FRIED MORE EFFICIENTLY?" Stoick interrupted.

Gobber grimaced. He'd just talked with Hiccup about this specific idea earlier today. It did have it's advantages. The dragon had destroyed Bessie though. No, Hiccup was more important than a gun. Here was a way to capture a dragon, the only thing he was still hung up on Hiccup's idea about. He shouldn't let it go to waste. "Stoick, Hiccup might be right." He said.

A few seconds of silent stares followed the statement. "Look at this way. If we know more about it we can kill it better." Gobber stated simply.

"We already know plenty about dragons, and how to kill them." Stoick said impatiently.

"Y-yeah, but not these. This is the first time we've ever even hit one, and it was by sheer luck." Hiccup said, encouraged by Gobber's aid.

"Night Furies aren't very numerous." Stoick replied.

"But they're in almost every attack. If we study it we could counter it." Gobber argued.

Stoick sighed, and, pinching his nose agreed, "Fine. You can study it. Spitelout bring it to a warehouse on the side of town nobody lives in anymore. Bind it's legs, wings, and mouth."

"Yes sir." Spitelout said hesitantly.

"Hiccup, since this was your idea you'll study. If anyone gets hurt you're to blame. Am I clear?" Stoick asked.

"Yes sir!" Hiccup said joyfully.

"I know I'm gonna regret this." Stoick mumbled.

* * *

**AN: **Alright, next time, which will be far sooner than five months, Hiccup and Toothless will start getting to know eachother. Oh, and you read right. Toothless is a girl in this. Why?

1. I wanted it that way for this story

2. It changes the relationship to a degree. Now Toothless is a bit more motherly in perspective. Don't get me wrong though, Hiccup and Toothless as friends is still my main focus. I don't want Toothless to be a replacement for Hiccup's mother.

You may also have noticed how I tried to communicate that the dragons don't have emotions or concious thought. This is based on my opinion of reptiles purely. Don't worry though, the dragons can have them. They just have to have that part of their brain encouraged, like Toothless is about to.

Now then, please review, and tell me what you think. If you have any advice it is welcome. Also, if you're curious over dragon behavior please ask. I will either mention their roles in combat in the author note next chapter, or reply to your review with it.


	4. Recovery

**AN: **Hey everyone! I'm back again! So this chapter's coming a little later than I wanted, but it's still out. I'd like to thank those of you who came back, and read the story again, even after such a long break. You have my gratitude. Once again, I do not possess a Beta Reader, so I apologize for any mistakes.

On another note, I am extremely happy. Do you want to know why? It's because of many reasons. Blind Guardian, one of my favorite bands, released a new recently, and I got it. I bought How to Train your Dragon as well, and tomorrow Fallout: New Vegas comes out. YAAAAAY! Also my brother bought a 4-month old corgi. It's adorable, even if it's not trained.

Now, without further ado, I present you with the next chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fallout or How to Train your Dragon.

**WARNING:** Though it does not go into detail in anyway a certain mature subject is mentioned. Do not read unless you're fine with it.

* * *

Her eyes opened to a massive dimly lit room, and she knew it was not her nest. She had not returned from the raid. So where was she? The question did not occur to her. She merely sat curled up with her lime green eyes pointed at the wall opposite her. No matter how long it took, prey would come. Then, with hunger satisfied, she would leave this place, and return to her nest.

* * *

Hiccup munched happily on a piece of meat from the dead dog his father had killed the day before. Today would be a great day. For once his father had listened, which he largely had Gobber to thank for. Today he would study a dragon, and not just any dragon. His subject was a species they didn't know much about. He couldn't help, but be happy. There was thunk a upstairs that signaled Stoick's rise from bed, and a few minutes later the large red-head came down the stairs. "Morning Dad." Hiccup greeted unshyly.

Stoick paused at the difference in Hiccup's tone for moment, but quickly shook his head before returning the greeting, "Good morning son."

As he headed for the fridge Hiccup stood up from the table, and brought his plate to the counter. "I'm goin' now Dad." he said.

"Wait," Stoick ordered, turning from the fridge. "I want to talk to you about that dragon."

Hiccup paused. "I don't want you anywhere near close enough for it to get at you." His father stated.

"Dad, I'm smart enough to know to keep a safe distance." Hiccup stated.

"Pardon me then, for preventing any of your mishaps." Stoick returned firmly. "And don't even think about feeding it to keep it alive. It has a muzzle for a reason, and we have precious little resources. Why, just last night we lost three Brahmin."

"We lost Brahmin last night? I thought we had an outstanding victory." Hiccup blurted out, dumbfounded.

"We did, but that doesn't mean we lost nothing. Hell, even some men died. My duty today is repairing the damages." Stoick explained.

Hiccup's face fell a little with the news. "Alright. I'll be careful." He mumbled.

"Good." Stoick said. "Now go on. Do the duty you asked for."

Nodding, Hiccup left his house. No matter how good he felt, he could always count on his father to ruin it.

* * *

As she stared at the wall it opened, and in walked a scrawny human. Prey. Immediately she jumped up, but her wings did not foldout, held to her body by many thick leather straps. Her mouth did not open, closed shut by a thick iron band, and she fell to the ground. Now she noticed her restraints, and instinctively raised a claw to rip off the band on her mouth. Though it was in vain, as iron chains clinked to show her limbs bound as well. She fought against the chains with all her strength to find they held, even if just barely. Without mobility she slumped to the ground, and stared at the human with her pupils turned to slits, growling menacingly.

Hiccup had initially been startled by the dragon's reaction, but calmed himself quickly. He watched with interest as the Night Fury discovered it's restraints. It was surprising to see the beast had not noticed them before. Hiccup sat on the concrete ground a good distance from the dragon, and opened a notebook he had brought with him to write the immediate observation. When he finished he looked up to see the mutant just as before. Still with a hateful gaze and continual growl. Hiccup smiled at the dragon's determination. If nothing else the beast certainly never gave up. A creaking of metal distracted him as the door he came in through opened again. A limping man walked in, closing the door behind him. "You sure wake up early." Gobber said, yawning.

"You know me, always have to try new ways of hurting myself." Hiccup replied wittily. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure your new way of hurtin' yourself don't work." Gobber answered as he stopped beside Hiccup. "Besides, since I supported you last night, old Stoick got the idea in his head that I should help you."

"So I have nanny?" Hiccup asked.

"More or less." Gobber stated.

He turned his attention the dragon, and smirked to see it growling at Hiccup. "It seems to have a one track mind." The boy observed in a disappointed tone.

"Maybe it's in love with ya." Gobber joked, earning him a glare from the teenager beside him. "What? You don't think it's funny?"

Hiccup sighed, and pinched his nose. Gobber was only being Gobber. "It's got a mighty long tail." He heard the old soldier say.

Hiccup looked at the dragon's rear end to see that the mutant indeed a massive tail. The black appendage stretched on far longer than most dragons, and had two fins at the beginning and end. " Huh, it must use the tail for something if it's that long. Most dragons have short tails." Hiccup thought aloud.

"It could use it like a club. That's what the Zipplebacks and Nightmares do." Gobber suggested.

"No. This Night Fury's too small to do much damage that way." Hiccup explained.

Gobber mumbled something under his breath as Hiccup's eyes began to explore the rest of the dragon's body. The wing restraints wrapped tightly over the mutant's body hid most of it's form from view, but the rather large wingtips were outside of the straps, implying that the dragon possessed massive wings for it's size. The Night Fury's relatively slender frame was also noticeable thanks to how tightly the leather were tied. As his eyes settled on the head he stared with interest at the dragon's ears, designed like black fins among a crown of smaller fins that could fold into the neck during flight. Then he looked at the eyes. The beautiful toxic green eyes stood out from the rest of the body, and in them Hiccup lost himself. There was something underneath the dragon's anger. Something intelligent. He could see it, but it seemed hidden, as if unused.

* * *

She had continued to threaten the scrawny small human as he observed her. Logic would have dictated that she scare off the bigger man who had entered earlier. Instinct, however, told her to go after the small, young, and weak, because they were easier targets, and instinct she would follow. Yet, when the boy stared in her eyes she stared into his, and she stopped growling. The boy was calm, and there was no ill intent in his eyes. There was gentleness instead. She doubted her instinct when she saw this. Why did she need to harm something that was no threat. As the emotions ran through her head her pupils became round spheres. The boy reacted quickly, "Hey! Her eyes changed!" He said.

"So? Why's that important?" The larger human asked.

The boy seemed unable to respond for a moment, and in that moment she found herself wishing she could understand them. "I don't know. It just caught me by surprise." He answered after a short pause.

The boy continued to observe her, and she observed him this time. He was smaller than most humans she had seen during fighting. Wait, was he? He was certainly smaller than the man beside him, but she had no example other than that. She had no memory of before. Just blurred images of fighting humans. What was this boy doing to her?

* * *

The dragon began growling again, and Hiccup realized he hadn't even notice it stop. Why had the dragon stopped for those few minutes? He couldn't guess. As he looked over the dragon's body he realized something else. "What gender is it?" He blurted.

"Huh? Gender?" Gobber asked.

Hiccup sighed, and restated simply, "Is it a guy or a girl?"

"Oh, it's a girl." Gobber replied.

Hiccup's head jumped. He hadn't been expecting an answer. "How do you know?" He asked.

"It's body is more lithe than bulky. That's how girl dragons are built. 'Course I could swear they're stronger than guys." Gobber answered.

Hiccup stared dumbfounded before risking the question, "How did you find that out?"

The old soldier sputtered, "W-w-what? Uuuuuuuuhhhh…Let's just say I've killed a lot of dragons, and some of them were not exactly fighting at the time. Well, actually, I suppose you could call it fighting-"

"ENOUGH!" Hiccup interrupted, "I don't need to hear about dragon sex."

Needless to say, the conversation made Hiccup want to go take a bath, but at least he knew what the dragon was now.

* * *

It was noon when Astrid finished feeding the Brahmin. The two-headed cows had been spooked from last night, and were on edge. So Astrid had to calm them down before she could approach their feeding trough. Now, with the livestock handled, she could relax. Her idea of relaxing, however, had to do with training, and, true to her nature, she headed for the firing range in the back of the village.

The day had been very long for her. After the raid had ended she stayed up for the initial clean up. Clearing rubble, finding dead, treating injured, and other things of the same sort. She hadn't slept until the sun was rising, and even then she only slept for a few hours. Needles to say, she was tired, and looked forward to some time train. It always made her peaceful when she was at the firing range. Despite the gun fire it was always quiet to her. She tuned out the noise, and was able to think, to relax and forget her troubles. On days like today she would probably be the only one there, and that made it all the more relaxing.

With this thought in her head she picked up her pace, and smiled. As she passed by a warehouse she heard growling. Clearly the Night Fury was awake and angry. She paused, and stared at the building. It was surprising to her that Stoick had approved the study of the dragon, but she wasn't disappointed. She saw the advantages in it. The best way to fight your enemy was to know about them, and their knowledge of dragons was rudimentary at best. Yet this wasn't why she had stopped in front of the building. She was worried for Hiccup.

She didn't hate him like the other teenagers. Most of the time she just pitied him. She only grew angry with him when his weakness showed, and that was often enough to make it seem like she hated him. At the moment her worry came from the camaraderie of the village. He was one of them, and had his own talents. It would be a bad thing to lose him, and his current job was dangerous. Of course the dragon was well-restrained, but Hiccup had a knack for making very bad mistakes.

Astrid tried to convince herself he would be fine, so she could leave. She found her rooted to the spot though. She needed to be sure. Quietly approaching the door she slid it open an inch to see inside. Hiccup was just fine, chatting away with Gobber over something as the mutated reptile growled at them. Closing her eyes, she sighed, and shut the door. She should've known he was okay. Opening her eyes again Astrid stared down the road. It was still a good distance to the firing range, even if it was on the same side of town as the warehouse. She blinked slowly, and turned around. She decided she was too tired to go practice right now. She'd spray BBs all over the range. No, right now she needed rest.

* * *

Stoick stared at the burning corpses. It wasn't common for many people to come to the cremation of the dead, it being a reminder of their failures to protect one another, and today was no exception. Only Stoick, and the relatives of the deceased were present. There were only four bodies, but three others were missing, presumably eaten in the attack. Stoick breathed heavy as the flames danced in the afternoon light. It was a reminder of failure on his part more than anyone else's. Every dead, injured, or missing person was his fault. He was the leader, and it was his duty to protect everyone in the village. Yet, come every raid he failed. Someone always died when the dragons came, usually more than one. It was always his fault. Even his wife's death. If he had been smart enough to have the children gathered with guards back then his wife would still be alive.

Stoick breathed heavy again, and attempted to erase the solemn thoughts. He shouldn't dwell on his failures. He needed to focus on his successes. As if in tune with his thoughts the flames flickered, and died, leaving only ashes. Stoick rose, and watched the relatives of the dead depart. He also needed to remember the pain of failure though. That way he would stop making the same mistakes.

* * *

"Light's fading." Gobber observed.

Hiccup looked out the windows near the roof to see the sky turned orange. "Best we head back. Else, they'll think you got yourself eatin'." The old soldier joked.

Hiccup frowned at the suggestion. "But she hasn't done anything all day." He complained.

"Hey, I told you to poke it with the stick." Gobber argued.

"Thank you very much, but I'd like to keep all my limbs intact." Hiccup replied.

There was a groaning near them, and they looked at the Night Fury. The dragon was still growling, eyes fixed on Hiccup, but the groaning came from it again. "Don't even think about it." Gobber said.

"Too late." Hiccup joked.

"Then don't do it." Gobber stated seriously.

Hiccup sighed, "Fine."

"Good, now come along." Gobber ordered.

Hiccup rose, and followed without a word.

* * *

As the humans left she stopped growling. No threat and no prey meant she had no reason to. Her stomach groaned at her again. She was hungry, but she wasn't weak. Eventually she'd have a chance to eat again, and until then she'd endure. Yet an image was stuck in her head. Her first true memory was that human's eyes, innocent and kind. It unnerved her to see the picture so clearly. It was unlike anything she'd known before. The blurred images in her mind were eyeless and soulless. Yet this one was crystal clear. It was precious to her, but she couldn't say why.

* * *

Spitelout sat drinking in the old diner that served as Berk's bar. With the day fading to night he was joined by the usual afternoon crowd, excepting Gobber. "Five more dead, and seven injured. The raid hit us hard." A dark-skinned man said.

"Not as bad as last time Cecil." A villager offered.

"Yeah, but at this rate we'll have to hire mercenaries." The black man responded.

"We all know where that heads. The mercs would die in the first raid, and the ones that didn't would quit. None of 'em are as skilled as a single one of us. Besides, raids only happen every couple months." A stern looking man with short blonde hair argued.

Spitelout sighed, and spoke with fatigue evident in his voice. "Hofferson…You know the dragons aren't our only problem. The raiders out of Bethesda have been getting bolder lately, and they're bound to risk a venture up here soon. They aren't like most raiders. They're organized, and they have numbers. A couple groups of mercs would come in handy then."

Hofferson grunted, "A few Brahmin lost every month, all supplies kept for use, and add, not one but, several groups of mercenary. The village is almost broke as it is. We can't afford it."

"So what do you suggest?" Cecil asked. "We face the Raiders ourselves, and lose our own men? That'll leave us too weak to fight off the dragons."

There was a long moment of silence as the villagers drank. "Money's the main problem right?" slurred one of the drunker patrons. "Why don't we capture some of the smaller Raider bands, and sell them to Paradise Falls?"

Spitelout was surprised not to find himself appalled at the idea. Slavery was something most everyone looked down on, and having grown up in the Brotherhood he should have a stronger sense of morality. Yet the only thing to come out of his mouth was. "Stoick wouldn't allow it."

With these words the evening faded to silence as the villagers brooded over the idea, and left the diner.

* * *

Hiccup sat at his desk looking over his notes by candlelight. From what he could tell the Night Fury was designed for speed. He was certain that even a male couldn't have much more of a muscular build, and that meant the species was lightly built for their size. When in combination with it's larger wings this made the Night Fury much faster than any other dragon, which explained why their fireballs packed had enough power to bring down weak buildings. Because of it's speed it needed a rudder, and Hiccup believed that's what the long tail was for. Without it the dragon would lose control before shortly after taking off

From today he could assume they were not very intelligent, but the young man continued to stumble over the few moments earlier. When he looked into her eyes he could've swore there was something more to her. She had stopped growling, and the intelligence he'd thought he saw emerged for a few minutes. Then she reverted back to her growling. Now Hiccup wasn't even sure he had had really seen it, but he couldn't let it go. That short moment continued to bug him until he threw himself on his bed in aggravation. Staring at the ceiling he spoke to himself. "Why'd you stop? Did I just imagine it?"

He breathed heavily, and blew out the candle. He would find more answers in the morning.

* * *

**AN: **So there you have it. Hiccup and Toothless are starting to get to know eachother. If you're wondering about Toothless' change in thought patterns, it's because the difference in Hiccup was such a shock it knocked her out of instinct. Now she'll start learning.

Oh, and I wonder what Spitelout and the others are up to?

Please review. I don't care if you have advice or not. It helps keep my self-esteem up. If you do have advice, however, I will gladly listen to it.


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